AS THE newly-appointed president of FMCG giant Unilever’s €12.5 billion beauty and wellbeing (B&W) business group, a key focus area for Priya Nair is premiumising brands through innovation and increasing desirability with elevated product experiences, including packaging. “Consumers are more conscious of where and how they spend their money. That is why we focus on building desirable brands with superior products,” says Nair, who is responsible for four key segments of Unilever’s B&W segment—hair care, skin care, prestige beauty and health and wellbeing (vitamins, minerals and supplements). In 2023, the company introduced new innovative skincare products under its Pond’s brand with ingredients like Niasorcinol (combination of niacinamide and e-resorcinol, boosts skin’s ability to self-repair) and hexyl-retinol (combination of retinol-C, hexylresorcinol and niacinamide, aimed at reversing signs of aging), developed in-house. Meanwhile, its makeup brand Lakme introduced products like a lightweight “invisible” sunscreen stick which can be worn over makeup. “We’re also building our digital marketing and commerce capabilities at speed,” says Nair. — Arnika Thakur